After all that vacation-time excess, I returned home to Paris only to discover that most of my jeans had mysteriously shrunk. It was time to start eating vegetables again. (Not that I didn’t have any in the States, but the portions were always small in comparison to the hunks of juicy meat they were served with.) So Nick and I headed down to the market to find fodder for some vegetable-laden meals. Among other things, we came back with some gorgeous spinach and some bright red “Corne” peppers. (Not sure if they’re the same as “Corne de Boeuf.” Anyone?) We decided to combine them in a quiche, which may not sound like the Lightest of All Possible Dinners, but hey, you have to ease into these things.

Plus, I used a new favorite whole wheat crust recipe. Clotilde posted it on Chocolate & Zucchini several weeks ago, and I am as enthusiastic about it as she is. Who ever thought a healthy tart crust could taste so good? I love that it is full of whole grain goodness (while she suggests using light whole wheat flour or half white, half whole wheat, I have made it twice with all whole wheat flour, and have no complaints) and the olive oil is not only a healthier fat than butter, it’s also easier to work with, especially on warm summer afternoons. Plus, the amount fits perfectly into my big ceramic tart dish.

But back to the quiche. After studding the spinach and pepper-filled crust with little cubes of feta, I filled in the gaps with a lighter version of my usual quiche custard (replacing one of the yolks with a whole egg and using more milk, less cream). We played a round of cribbage while it baked, and when it was done we were treated to a tasty vegetarian supper.

As expected, the lighter custard, once baked, was firmer and less luxurious than the standard, but in this case, given that we’d kind of had our fill of rich, fatty food for the time being, that was just fine. What we didn’t expect was the pepper to be as spicy as it was. We were expecting piquillo-like smokiness, which was there, but the first bite with some real heat was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one.

Later in the week we got a double panier from the CSA, the first of four additional paniers we will be getting to make up for the ones we missed while on vacation. They were full of zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes, which fortunately are great together and serve as a basis for all kinds of light meals. My jeans should fit again in no time.